Doug Segrest's Second Look: Just another ho-hum day for Auburn (not) as we look forward to BCS play-in game

Maybe Mississippi State's Chris Relf should have gone up top with the Bulldogs needing a late score. (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell)

MONDAY MORNING QB

> They'll be second Â­guessing Dan Mullen's goal-Â­line gambles for months to come. With an Auburn deÂ­fense that had already been on the field for 95 snaps on the ropes, Mullen attacked the Tigers with Vick Ballard and Chris Relf on the ground instead of rolling Relf out and allowing him to throw. Both times, State was rebuffed. Don't blame MulÂ­len, who made the right call. Credit Auburn's beleaÂ­guered defense for rising to the occasion.

THE WEEK THAT WILL BE

> No rest for Mullen's weary team. MSU is back home Thursday night for a showdown with thirdÂ­-ranked LSU. If State couldn't punch it in against Auburn, how will the ofÂ­fense fare against one of the nation's elite defenses?

> I doubt anyone circled Boise State's Friday trip to Toledo. Not this season. Not any season. But after Toledo scared the Buckeye out of Ohio State, this Bronco road trip intrigues.

> Auburn looks to conÂ­tinue the magic at Clemson on Saturday. What will it take, four overtimes? Still, the nation's biggest test comes at Doak Campbell Stadium, where Florida State and Oklahoma may be playing for a BCS ChampiÂ­onship Game berth. Which team will blink?

GRIDIRON TALK

"Chris said he felt really good about the run call, and the kid made a heck of an open-field tackle. That was the difference."

-- Mississippi State's Dan Mullen on the potential game-tying play that was snuffed by Auburn's Ryan Smith.

***

"We're not good enough right now. There's not one individual in that locker room, including all the coaches, that are good enough right now."

4. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina RB: Rumbled for 176 yards and a TD against Georgia. Last week: Not ranked.

5. Denard Robinson, Michigan QB: Completed just 46 percent of his passes, but averaged 30.7 yards a completion and accounted for 446 yards of total offense and five TDs against Notre Dame. Last week: Not ranked.

TOP TEN

Top 10 things worth buzzing about over the weekend and in the days ahead:

1. Not only did Michigan and Notre Dame show you how uniform changes are supposed to work (the Irish shamrock helmet was cheesy, but classic), they also provided a finish for the ages.

2. Three touchdowns in the final 72 seconds? Who thought touch football could be so much fun?

3. Admit it, the "M" on the Michigan jersey was priceless. Was that Denard Robinson leading the comeback or Tom Harmon?

4. Steve Spurrier, Offensive Genius. Even with Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery, he unveiled a new weapon: A 276-pound defensive tackle named Melvin Ingram, who zipped 68 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt.

5. Charlie Strong and Urban Meyer could be reunited sooner than expected. Louisville lost to FIU Friday, thanks to T.Y. Hilton's 201 receiving yards. Rumor has it that Strong, now the Louisville head coach, used to be a premier defensive coordinator.

6. Scary moment after Minnesota's loss to New Mexico State. Gophers coach Jerry Kill was rushed to the hospital after suffering seizures, a recurrence since he battled kidney cancer.

7. Don't look now, but Texas is back. After beating BYU by one, Texas is back to being at least two points better than Ole Miss. Hey, it sure was fun seeing (Case) McCoy and (Jaxon) Shipley making magic again.

8. Not so fast, South Carolina. Despite a depleted roster, Florida is serious about battling for the SEC East title. The blank job of UAB was brutal for the Blazers.

9. USC welcomed Utah to the Pac-12 by blocking a potential game-tying field goal on the final play. Nothing but heartache for the newcomers. Colorado lost to Cal in overtime.

10. Iowa State slipped past Iowa in the highest scoring game in the history of the rivalry. Former Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is now an offensive mastermind, thanks to a Cyclones attack that had 473 yards of total offense.

Doug Segrest's Second Look appears every Monday durÂ­ing the college football and basketball seasons. Write him at dsegrest@bhamnewÂ­s.com. Check out Doug's blog at blog.al.com/segrest and participate in his live SEC chat Friday at 11 a.m.